Town Meeting Update: Save Cricket Field supports Article 2, the appropriation article that allows funds for a Feasibility Study for Hillside School. We continue to support the construction of a new school in an appropriate location. The Park and Recreation Committee denied the School Committee's request to study Cricket FieldThe Park and Recreation Commission unanimously denied the School Committee's request to study Cricket Field as a possible site for Hillside School.This is a HUGE step for Cricket Field! Thank you to our Cricket Supporters from all over Needham. We would especially like to thank the Park and Recreation Commission and the other town officials who have supported keeping Cricket Field as a park. We will remain vigilant, especially at upcoming town meeting. More than 1750 Needham residents have signed a petition in opposition to the construction of a school on Cricket Field!

The Park and Recreation Commission unanimously ruled that Cricket Field remain a park under their jurisdiction!The Park and Recreation Commission unanimously ruled that another town body can only study Cricket (and other land under their jurisdiction) with their written permission.Selectmen Moe Handel, Matt Borrelli, Dan Matthews, and John Bulian supported a motion that would keep the School Committee from studying Cricket Field without the Park and Recreation Commission's permission. THANK YOU to the 300+ Cricket supporters who attended the Board of Selectmen meeting!

October 22, 2013 Board of Selectmen Meeting

THANK YOU to everyone who came! We had more than 300 people there!

It's not over yet, but we took some very important steps at this meeting.

The School Committee said that they would STILL like to study Cricket Field. The School Committee is going to ask the Park and Recreation Commission for permission to study Cricket. Joe Barnes, the Chair of the School Committee, said that he would take Cricket out of the Feasibility Study if the Park and Recreation Commission says no.

The Selectmen passed a motion requiring one town body to ask permission before studying land under the control of another town body. This means that the School Committee cannot study Cricket Field without the permission of the Park and Recreation Commission.

Four of the five Selectmen stated their strong opposition to building on Cricket Field. Three Selectmen opposed including Cricket Field in the Feasibility Study. At least two Selectmen said that Cricket Field should not have been included as an option in the first place.

The Selectmen unanimously agreed to support the Warrant Article asking for funding for the Hillside School Feasibility Study.

Two people spoke on behalf of the group pushing to study Cricket, and Dan Shapiro spoke on behalf of Save Cricket Field. Dan Shapiro's speech received a standing ovation.

October 21, 2013 Park and Recreation Commission Votes that Cricket Remain a Park

The Park and Recreation Commission voted that they would not give up any land under their jurisdiction (including Cricket) without express written permission. They also ruled that Cricket Field remain under their jurisdiction as a park

CLICK HERE to see our response to the recently circulated email by individuals insisting that Cricket Field be included in the Hillside Feasibility Study

IMPORTANT UPDATE -- October 2013 -- See Flyer Below for Information

7-28-12 - Mission Statement

The mission of Save Cricket Field is to preserve Cricket Field as green space for the future enjoyment of generations of Needham residents. This iconic field has been a part of Needham's history for at least 100 years and it has been an active public park since it was gifted to the town in 1938. Containing a playground, fields, memorials, and open space, Cricket Field is one of Needham's biggest parks and the only large field in the Needham Heights community.

NEWS 10-11-12More than 1500 Needham citizens have now signed the petition in support of Cricket Field! If you have not yet signed the petition, feel free to sign online through the link below.

A recent Needham Times Poll asked Needham residents whether they would be willing to keep Hillside School at its current site despite the potential for increased costs. Poll results showed that 83% of Needham citizens were willing to pay more to keep Hillside at its current location. NEWS 9-20-12A pre-feasibility report of the environmental conditions of Hillside School state that the approximate maximum price for remediation of the Hillside site is $771,000 (a relatively small amount considering the roughly $40 million dollar cost of the school overall).

NEWS 9-06-12Town officials recently met with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and discovered that it is likely safe environmentally to rebuild Hillside at its current site and is also likely financially feasible.

Voices of Cricket Field

“THE CRICKET FIELD Dedicated to the use of the Inhabitants of the Town of Needham forever by the generosity and philanthropy of two esteemed citizens, William H. Carter, Frank W. Gorse” – Monument on Cricket Field

“The Park and Recreation Commission strongly feels that Cricket Field is not a vacant parcel, and the loss of this neighborhood space would be a loss to the Needham Heights area that does not have much open green space. … Needham simply does not have the available open real estate, such as this park that it can consider eliminating without looking closely at the ramifications it will have on our Town and the immediate neighborhood. This is more than a cost issue. It’s a complete change to a neighborhood and to the student/youth athletes that utilize this space. Once this park is built upon, it will be gone forever.”- Michael Retzky, Chairman, Park and Recreation Commission, in a letter to the School Committee dated June 4, 2012

“I have spent 25 years growing up on and around Cricket Field and it has great personal meaning to me. It is where I learned how to play soccer and lacrosse. And I was lucky enough to play both of those sports on Cricket Field while attending Needham High. It is a place full of childhood memories for me, and I want others to have the opportunity to build their own memories there. It has been a valued part of my neighborhood and has great meaning for all those families that enjoy it. I would be sincerely heartbroken to ever see it go. Please do not consider destroying this field. It is a part of Needham's identity and a part of all of us who grew up here.” – Kristina Anderson

“There is no good reason to be tearing down a perfectly good school and ruining a decent park.” – John Wrynn

“In my youth I spent a great deal of time enrolled in and volunteering with the cricketeer program, and believe that Cricket field should remain a seperate public space. Unique in the Needham park system, Cricket provides a public space outside of school grounds … Cricket serves the community in a way not provided by other parks.” – Sam Watters

“My house looks out on the cricket field and for 54 years I have enjoyed the sporting events and other family uses. In addition, it is well maintained and very pleasing to the eye. It would be brutal to change the neighborhood now after over half a century.” – Morton Parker

Did you know:

The Needham School Committee is considering relocating Hillside school to Cricket Field even though it is possible to build Hillside School on its existing site. Current plans to build Hillside School on Cricket Field involve paving almost a third of the green space (where the girls Varsity Soccer field now stands) to make a 95-car parking lot. The existing shade trees, tot lot, and much of the smaller field will be replaced with large administration and school buildings and a paved drop-off zone.

Learn More:

While only a preliminary study has been done on various options for increasing space in the schools, Cricket Field appears to be one of the three finalists according to a recent Blog by the Superintendent. Learn more about the current situation with the links below: